Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, the heterosexual couple who were
this week refused permission to register for a civil partnership at
Islington town hall, deserve the support of the people of Islington.
They have made a brave stand to highlight the double standards which
Westminster legislation imposes on registrars. Why should a couple who
simply want the law to recognise their relationship be forced to adopt
the heavily symbolic rituals of marriage? But equally, why should
same-sex couples who value the socially meaningful tradition of marriage
be denied it?
The Green Party has been calling for civil marriages and civil
partnerships to be opened up, without discrimination, to both same-sex
and opposite-sex couples. I look forward to the day when Islington’s
town hall is able to do just that.
CARINA DUNKERLEY, Islington Green Party
This letter was published in the Islington Tribune on 19 November 2010. To see the original click here.